Mates’ marathon mission

Hannah’s House, named after Hannah Watson who was diagnosed with Opitz Trigonocephaly Syndrome at birth, will be a purpose built respite house ” a happy, fun, engaging community centre that will provide a range of services that will meet adequately the growing demands and needs of these children and their families.

The 42-year-old father-of-two spent nine months in and out of Princess Margaret Hospital as his 10-year-old daughter battled cancer.

He said the charity was the perfect fit for the foursome, aptly titled The Four Men on a Mission, who will fly out next month to take part in the gruelling Marathon Des Sables trek.

‘I got involved through a friend and it was as simple as having a beer and discussing more of a challenge,’ Mr Shaw said.

‘One thing led to another and we decided to do it and link it to Hannah’s House.

‘Hannah’s House was chosen because teammate Greg Hunt has lost a child due to very much the same circumstances as the Watson’s and my daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

‘We took advantage of Ronald McDonald house at that time and Hannah’s House is going to be a bigger version of that.’

Currently running up to 120km a week, Mr Shaw said he hoped it was enough preparation for the 250km course.

‘We’ve been running on the sand, on the road and running with our packs,’ he said.

‘We have been taking advantage of the really hot days in Perth.

‘It has been 41 and 42 degrees on some days so we are hoping to have some sort of advantage over the guys from the northern hemisphere.’

The men leave on April 2 and start the six-day course on April 5. They are hoping to raise $500,000. Visit hannahshouse.org.au for details.